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A 16-year-old boy is facing weapons and assault charges after a group of around 30 teens allegedly vandalized a restaurant and attacked the owner Friday night in London, Ont.
At around 9:35 p.m., an employee at a business in the area of North Centre Road and Fanshawe Park Road in the city’s north-end asked a group of teenagers to leave, as they were disturbing customers, the London Police Service said Monday.
One of the youths, a teenaged boy, began to argue with the employee before assaulting him and threatening him with a knife, police said. When a second employee intervened, the teen threw a water bottle at him before fleeing the area on foot.
The incident took place outside of Plaza Sushi’s Masonville location, as previously reported by CBC News.
CBC News viewed a medical report that was provided to police that showed the scale of the owner’s injuries when he visited a clinic after the attack. It said he was left with bruises and swelling on his face, as a result of being hit with a heavy object, and had bruises on various parts of his body.
Franchise owner Minsoo Lee said it all began when four girls from a group of 10 teens came inside and asked to use the rest room. When they took a long time to come out, and customers needed to get in, staff asked them to leave.
Lee said that’s when they became disruptive, yelling racial slurs at some of the staff. After the girls left, four boys came in and also asked to use the rest room. The staff turned them away, he said.
The group’s numbers outside grew to more than 30, Lee explained, and they began shouting and throwing garbage, cardboard and glass bottles from a nearby dumpster toward the restaurant. When the owner went outside, the kids attacked him, punched him in the face, threw rocks and brandished knives before running off by the time police arrived.
Police found the suspect a short distance away. As a result of the investigation, the 16-year-old has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, assault and disobeying order of the court.
The youth cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He is scheduled to appear in London court later Monday in relation to the charges.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
